Microsoft’s Surface Mini: Will it run Windows 8, or Windows Phone 8?

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In an interesting conversation at the Goldman Sachs Technology and Internet Conference yesterday, Microsoft’s CFO Peter Klein indicated that a Surface Mini might be waiting in the offing. There’s no indication of what size the Surface Mini might be, but it’s fairly safe to assume that it would be a 7-inch tablet that goes head-to-head against the Nexus 7, Kindle Fire, and iPad Mini.

Speaking at the Goldman Sachs conference, Klein hammered home the fact that Microsoft — at long last — is capable of extending the Windows (Metro) experience to almost every form factor. “The notion of flexibility and scalability of the operating system is intrinsic to our strategy,” he says. On smaller devices, Microsoft has Windows Phone 8, and for everything else there’s Windows 8, Windows Server 8 and Windows Embedded 8. With the same kernel in both WP8 and Windows 8, and app cross-compatibility, it is in theory quite easy for Microsoft to create an almost-seamless ecosystem that spans the gamut from 4- to 40-inch displays.

The question on my mind, though, is which operating system would power the Surface Mini. At seven or eight inches, the Surface Mini would find itself in an uncomfortable chasm between Microsoft’s two OSes. You see, despite having the same kernel and roughly the same Metro interface, Windows 8 and WP8 are rather different beasts. WP8 is designed almost exclusively for portrait use, while Windows 8’s Metro Start screen is only really usable in landscape orientation. Neither OS deals very well with repeated reorientation, which is exactly what most users do with 7-inch tablets (from reading, to gaming, to checking email, to watching a movie).

This isn’t to say that Microsoft couldn’t tweak one of its OSes to work on a 7-inch device, though — and in all likelihood, I think Microsoft would choose Windows 8 or Windows RT for its Surface Mini. With better support for higher resolutions, media playback, and wireless connectivity, Windows 8 is a better choice. Windows Phone 8’s chief advantage is a lighter processor and memory footprint, which would increase battery life — but Windows RT, backed by the same ARM SoCs as WP8, has also proven itself of all-day battery life. WP8 also has more apps than Windows 8/RT, but many of them will need to be reworked for high-resolution displays and landscape orientation. (See: Windows 8 smartphones and Windows Phone 8 tablets.)

Ultimately, as Klein puts it, “We can have the same core code base driving form factors from four inches all the way up to 27-inch ones and everything in between, so I think we are well set up to respond to demand as we see it.” This isn’t quite a confirmation that the Surface Mini (or Surface Maxi?) is in development, but Amazon, Google, and Apple have all proven that the demand is obviously there. For what it’s worth, Microsoft has already signaled that the Surface RT and Pro tablets are just the beginning of a big foray into the world of consumer electronics. Let us not forget what Ballmer famously said in an interview with CRN back in July 2012, too: “We are not going to let annyyyyyyyyyyyyy piece of this [go uncontested to Apple]. Not the consumer cloud. Not hardware/software innovation. We are not leaving any of that to Apple by itself. Not going to happen! Not on our watch!”

Basically, a Surface Mini is guaranteed — it’s just a matter of when.

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VirtualMark

Will it run Windows 8, or Windows Phone 8? And who gives a damn? Can we have some graphics card news or something? I’m going to get ill if i see any more Windows 8 tiles with generic family pictures and the weather on them.

http://www.jeffkibuule.com Jeff Kibuule

Do you want ExtremeTech to just make up news you want to hear? -_-

VirtualMark

Yes, that’s a good idea! As long as it stops them showing those awful tablets every other day. :)

Windows8 and WindowsServers2012 have been killed by the childish unusable Metro/ModernUI nonsense.

SurfaceRT/SurfacePRO are silly expensive and worthless joke.

Now a Surface Mini is going to be just even more pathetic.

user 9693

it’s not retarded but MS is not using it relevantly

http://www.auura.co.uk Endgadget

? I don’t have an issue using Server 2012 at all so I’m not sure what you’re going on about. the features alone are worth their weight in gold.

Surface RT, for what you actually get, is far better than the equivalent iPad.
Please try to grow up!

http://www.facebook.com/WhoAreYouWhatAreYouDoingHere Chris Shakal

Wow, so much MS hate.

Jml

YES THAT’S SO MUCH M$ HATE AND I HATE M$ BWHAHAHAHAH!!!!!

http://www.facebook.com/xxcorpxx Chris Woodward

Great, I have people already asking for this and was hoping they were thinking about making one.

user 9693

Windows mobile platforms(WP8/WRT) are great and better than iOS and android, all they need to do is cut down the prices and improve the appstore.

Angel Colon

true and crazy how every OS is now judged on how BIG there app store is.

user 9693

well that’s because it’s a relevant factor and MS really need to work on it but yes one should not judge only on the basis of app store.

Angel Colon

Absolutely relevant, still waiting for certain popular apps like pandora or the return of iheartradio but, as many apps as say android has, i couldn’t deal with the instability. ios is stable just not a fan of the UI anymore.

http://pulse.yahoo.com/_4NZNW47MG5S2DMV3MFVNXBUOZM John

So another useless Overpriced Product that won’t sell! Plus more of those Creepy Commercials on TV. MS desperately needs new Marketing People! The Microsoft Marketing Trolls Spaming every website out there strategy, is not working.

Apple Fagboys fondling their Ipads give me the creeps. They hang out at coffee shops fondling one another and trying to make sure everyone sees their latest Apple I-Crap. Pathetic faggots with little toys, grow up and find a woman, freaks.

dfsf

Thats just the hipsters, the rest of us are professionals, my macbook rarely leaves it’s stand.

greybirdtoo

Sounds like envy to me. ;-> Seriously though, I use Mac, iOS, Windows, and some Android devices. They all have their uses.

http://www.natclayful.blogspot.com/ Natclayful On DISQUS

Stop Bill Gates, this is not good for Microsoft. I have not seen one person with a Microsoft Suface tablet and have only seen one person with a Windows 7 phone from 2011 and barely see Windows 8 on laptops and desktop computers (I know people that have downgraded from it) at all. Man, Bill, this is not worth the risk. You need to put this cash in developing an start menu for Windows 8, helping the X-Box division and noticing how much money can be lost from Windows 8 branded devices. I see computer manufacturers being hit hard by low computer sales due to this OS, I see people stressing out at sample booths trying to find a way to begun to use the OS.

I see a limitation in thought.
I see disappointment and a downfall.
One day I asked myself, “Whats a Zune?”

Angel Colon

or people will just take the 10-15 minutes to get used to the UI and realize its not intimidating at all. Windows 8 might not have the amount of apps that competing OS’s have but theres no arguing how stable it is.

http://www.natclayful.blogspot.com/ Natclayful On DISQUS

Dude, c’mon its attempt.

Xellion

YOOOOO this would be awesome.

WP, so much more cohesive and beautiful!

http://twitter.com/aghils Aghil V Ravindran

Bring it on!!! ;)

some_guy_said

Sorry, 7 inches isn’t something MS is going to be competitive with any time soon – Although I do love the 10-11 inch win8 touch/tablet pcs.

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